Rather than wait till Saturday’s regularly scheduled newsletter we decided to let you know early that after pickup for this week’s orders on Friday we will be closed till Saturday, September 4 when our next newsletter goes out and orders resume.

This summer has been hard on our farmers. It almost seems they’re having to unlist and delete more than they deliver because of ongoing damage from weather and problems (like mildew and bugs) brought on by the weather. Nobody fools mother nature, but we can’t fight it either. The plan is to give the growers a much needed break and hopefully start strong in September. We realize that schedule don’t allow for many fall crops to be ready for harvest, but hopefully what is available won’t be ruining daily in the fields by then. Falling prey to local weather conditions is one of the downsides of local sustainable agriculture.

Thank you for your kind understanding and being a part of our Market family! Please do not hesitate to contact us (marketatdothan@gmail.com) if you need anything during this break. We love our customers, we love serving you and want to be here for you.

Our Website: marketatdothan.locallygrown.net
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/MarketatDothan
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan

We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!

SUMMER FINGER FOODS

Summertime and who wants to cook??? Thankfully the season’s bounty, and help from our Market vendors can ease the burden! The following is inspired by Dianne Herring, D’s Jellies, whose summer Charcuterie was recently featured in Dothan Living.

Top Left: Who doesn’t like a good deviled egg? Our favorite stuffing is mayo, stone ground mustard and dry ranch dressing mixed with egg yolk.

Top Center: Sweet Cherry Tomatoes from Restoration Gardens.

Top Right: Praline Pecans from Avalon Farms

Bottom Left: Pecan Pie Muffins from Richter Farms

Bottom Center: Figs from Avalon Farms

Bottom Right: Baked Jalapeno Poppers.

Be sure to chheck out D’s Jellies for Pepper Jelly, a year round treat, and Nana’s superb cookies. We have many other wonderful foods listed as well.

GROWER & MARKET NOTES

D’S JELLIES: Congratulations to Dianne for another great food spread in Dothan Living magazine! This issue includes a Charcuterie using products from local businesses and Dianne has graciously mentioned Market at Dothan and our vendors in the accompanying article. THANK YOU!

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AVALON FARMS What do you consider an insect pest? Around here I usually consider anything eating or otherwise afflicting my plants a pest and it needs to go. 

It’s sort of like the old saying “anything growing in the wrong place is a weed.” You eat my plants, you die.

I discovered these very pretty caterpillars this week. They’ve been eating their way through my few celery plants, making them a pest. I started to pull them off for chicken treats but they reminded me of monarch caterpillars, so I did a little research. These bad boys (because they ate the celery) are black swallowtail caterpillars. I guess the chickens don’t need any treats today, LOL. We enjoy watching them flitting around the flowers near our porch.

Editor’s Note: Wendy isn’t the only one checking these caterpillars this week! If you find something interesting like this and want to know more Google Lens is a great smart phone app for identifying plant and animal life. Point the camera at what you wish to identify, click the button and Google will search it’s database and tell you what you’re looking at.

GROWER & MARKET NOTES

We appreciate you and your continued support of our local farmers and sustainable food producers. We are keeping the newsletter short and (hopefully!) sweet this week. Thank you for being a part of our Market family!

“Rain, rain, go away!” We were sad to see several items deleted from orders last week and if you’re one of those affected it’s because of mildew and damage from too much rain.

We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!

MORE SUMMER SALADS

In honor of a wedding anniversary we’re cheating this week and sharing a great re-run from July 2018. And who doesn’t like salad inspiration in these hot and humid summer days? Enjoy!

While many people automatically gravitate towards salads after the holidays, actually the hot days of summer may be the best time to take a break from grilling and take advantage of the season’s bounty. Salads are one of those versatile dishes that does not have to be dull or boring as there are many ways to make them interesting and satisfying.

Long gone are the days when main-course salads were pretty much limited to chicken or seafood concoctions involving mayonnaise or a virtuous (i.e., heavy and bland) effort composed of brown rice and not much else. These days, they’re far more likely to showcase interesting greens and other pristine seasonal produce, as well as staple ingredients from around the globe. Whether you favor a carefully curated classic like Salade Nicoise or a wonderful jumble of leftovers, main-course salads are an easy way to work healthy foods into your daily routine without being chained to the stove. Also, you get to channel your inner forager, whether you’re on the prowl at a farmers market or staring into your kitchen cupboard or refrigerator.

A word about beans: as far as beans go, we are all aware that legumes are an important (and inexpensive) source of dietary fiber and protein, and they also contain folate, iron, and potassium. In a perfect world, we’d all have a stash of cooked-from-scratch beans in the freezer, but if you don’t, it’s not an insurmountable hurdle. While some of us aspire to keep a stash of home canned beans in the pantry, there is no shame in using a store bought version. Canned beans, a genuine convenience food, will do; just remember to rinse them (to remove much of the sodium) and drain well before using. And for those who would bravely attempt to cook dried chickpeas, add a teaspoon of baking powder to help break down the protein chains and make them soft.

If you enjoy Mediterranean food, with most any combination of salad ingredients, if you add lots of flat-leaved parsley (which is sensibly treated as a vegetable in the Middle East), tomato, kalamata olives, red bell pepper, feta cheese, and lemony-garlicky vinaigrette you’ll have yourself dinner in no time flat.

GROWER & MARKET NOTES

NEW & RELISTED NEW – Figs from Avalon Farms Relisted Early Next Week – Casablanca Beef NEW – Vanilla Bean & Grape Vine Lip Balms from Bella Eden Farms * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

CASABLANCA RANCH: Sends word that they will be restocking and listing their Grass Fed Beef Monday and Tuesday of this order cycle. So you’re invited to make a 2nd order this week if you have been waiting for their return. Sherry and the family send their thanks for your understanding as they look forward to serving our Market family again.

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AVALON FARMS: You probably have noticed that many of my vegetable listings have very limited quantities or worse, have been removed altogether. It’s terrible, I know. The reason is the heavy rains we’ve been experiencing.  I should have a new planting of squash starting to produce, but I don’t. Due to the wet soil conditions I was not able to prepare the soil and plant. So when these old plants (the second planting of squash, actually) succumb to the mildew caused by heat and wet, I’m out of squash.

In desperation, I’m going to try some “creative” unorthodox planting methods to get more summer and a lot more winter squash going. I’m going to try planting seeds on the old broccoli/cabbage/greens rows. The plastic is still in place on those raised beds, I’ll just poke new holes and plant the seeds. Gotta try something.

It’s also time to start fall transplants. More broccoli, cabbage, kale etc that will be planted in the field late August, early September. These transplants will be started in the house where it is cool enough for the seeds to germinate well. Then I’m hoping I can move them out into the greenhouse to grow. Assuming I can keep the greenhouse cool enough. I gets complicated.

On the plus side, the figs are ripening and the trees are loaded. They will be listed this week.

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MORE WISDOM FROM ELIZABETH

The following is from an Introduction to Organic Farming written by Elizabeth Buttram from Columbus, GA whose work we’ve shared previously. The full article may be viewed by clicking HERE,

What’s Wrong With Chemically or Synthetically Derived Pesticides and Fertilizers?
Pesticide runoff always occurs either below the soil, damaging the very fiber of what makes up the unique network of life occurring under our shoes, or downhill into our streams and rivers creating a domino effect of ecological disaster. It kills insects and bugs occurring within the soil, as well as downhill/downstream. It isn’t just the insects that suffer though, it contaminates water sources, hurting an entire complex ecosystem of fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals.

So, pesticides poison the ecosystem while the fertilizers do quite the opposite, they promote unnatural blooms of plant species (Yes! Fertilizer runoff likewise happens). Certain plants will thrive, depending on the fertilizer, while others will suffer as the thriving plants out-compete them, and the ecosystem becomes unbalanced.

Often times, algae blooms occur due to fertilizer runoff. Algae bloom can be beneficial, but when unnaturally accelerated and given an unfair advantage due to fertilizer uptake, it smothers out its natural environment, uptaking vast amounts of oxygen from the water and making a favorable environment for wildlife species suddenly hostile and unsuitable. It leads to these species dying off as happens with pesticide runoff anyway. It’s a continual negative feedback loop. The ecological poisoning ensured with conventional farming using harsh pesticides and fertilizers isn’t the only negative side effect of this practice. It also makes it more difficult for organic farmers to do their work. Why?

To explain, I’ll give an example from an organic farm I worked on called Paradise Farms.

Paradise Farms did everything I listed above to be considered organic, and jumped through the many hoops and financial burdens of obtaining an organic certification (yet another thing making it difficult for organic farmers). Organic farmers are generally lower down on the financial scale because of previously covered reasons — the costs of obtaining an organic certification are ridiculous.
Paradise Farms was surrounded by other farms, and none of them were organic. This meant that all the pests that were deterred from the surrounding farms employing ecological warfare to keep them off their crops, came to our farm. Our ecological-based pesticides, while still an active deterrent, were heaven compared to the harsh chemicals they had adapted to. The negative consequences of this are obvious.

Why do it? Why organic farm?

Organic farming stems from a love for the environment and the natural world. Organic farmers’ ultimate mission emphasizes the use of our renewable resources in order to conserve our soils and waters for the bettered future of humanity and our entire world. Regardless of the challenges organic farmers face due to these practices, and the domino effect conventional farming operations have on organic farming, it’s worth it to know they’re simultaneously protecting the environment and providing for people.

The author hopes to resume her Peace Corps work within the next few months after her previous assignment was cut short due to Covid.

GROWER & MARKET NOTES

D’S JELLIES: I have been waiting patiently for all of my peppers that go into D’s Hot Pepper Jelly to turn red. The red peppers are what gives my jelly it’s red color. This weekend I hope to begin production of my best seller, D’s Hot Pepper Jelly. I will begin listing the jelly soon. I have new Jelly Jars that were shipped to me from New York, so all of my Jellies will be in new jars with white lids. Thank you for your patience and for being a loyal customer. Dianne Herring 

M@D MIDSUMMER BREAK

Every year we take a short midsummer break and this week will be our last order cycle before we open for orders again on July 3. We apologize for any inconvenience the late announcement may cause.

Thank you for your understanding. This gives your vendors a much needed break, and if you urgently need something during our off week you are welcome to contact them directly.

GROWER & MARKET NOTES

NEW & RELISTED including items listed last week

NEW – Shelled & Unshelled Peas from Grier Acres NEW – Shelled & Black Eyed Peas from Grier Acres BLUEBERRIES from Avalon Farms Fresh DILL from Grier Acres Fresh CILANTRO from Grier Acres Yukon Gold POTATOES from Avalon Farms RELISTED – Asian Fairy Tale Eggplant from Restoration Gardens Spaghetti Squash – Avalon Farms Delicata Squash – Avalon Farms Japanese Eggplant – Avalon Farms Tomato Medley – Avalon Farms Tomato Slicers – Avalon Farms

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AVALON FARMS:

Cleaning garlic makes a mess, but it’s pleasant on the front porch.

Due to the storms today our Saturday farmers market venue was canceled. So we have an unexpected “day off”. The “day off” will give us the opportunity to work on cleaning and storing our onions and garlic. Then there are tomatoes to cook down. Jalapenos, cucumbers and squash to turn into pickles. “Day off” is a euphemism for “trying to do things you usually don’t have time for.”

Stay safe out there.

CULINARY CONFESSIONS

When it comes to food the room for creativity is endless. Julia Child changed the world by inviting cameras into her studio kitchen and sharing all kind of wonderful tips, techniques and new foods with the world. Many have followed with their own unique flavors and styles and these days cooking channels and YouTube have made it possible to find most anything you wish to learn in mere moments.

That’s the big picture. The small picture that follows is one of your Market Managers favorite YouTube channels. It speaks loudly to my farm girl/raised in the country on a dirt road side.

Meet Aziza. She and her family rise early to tend their garden, chickens, and cows, and gather fresh ingredients for their meals, and sometimes even build the oven needed to make a dish. Open-fire cooking is the cornerstone of Aziza and her family’s heritage. Traditional Azerbaijani cooking is done over wooden coals using an iron pan called a saj.

Last year Aziza’s son, a professional chef named Amiraslan, was working in a restaurant in their nation’s capital of Baku. When the restaurant was forced to close due to the pandemic Amiraslan saw it as an opportunity to share their region’s dishes and way of life with the world. He returned to his native village and began to create videos of his family at work preparing cozy and comforting dishes over an open flame. In a year, their YouTube Channel, Country Live Vlog has gathered over 450,000 subscribers with many of their videos reaching over one million views.

Don’t take my word for why these videos have spoken to millions. Find a dish you’d enjoy seeing prepared and see why many folks wish they were in Azerbaijani and Aziza was their mom!

If the (green) link above does not work for you, try pasting the following into your browser to see some of these lovely videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIix6MklfJFywa_36iDj8Sw

GROWER & MARKET NOTES

NEW & RELISTED Fresh DILL from Grier Acres Fresh CILANTRO from Grier Acres Yukon Gold POTATOES from Avalon Farms RELISTED – Asian Fairy Tale Eggplant from Restoration Gardens Spaghetti Squash – Avalon Farms Delicata Squash – Avalon Farms Japanese Eggplant – Avalon Farms Tomato Medley – Avalon Farms Tomato Slicers – Avalon Farms * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

AVALON FARMS:

I feel like you guys are my friends, can I vent a little bit? 

As you know, Market at Dothan is not the only place I market my produce. When possible I attend both Poplar Head and Ozark Farmers Markets.

My issue is WHY don’t people believe I actually grow all these vegetables and fruits? Do I have a dishonest face?! I am asked this several times at every market. After explaining that I only sell what I grow at my little place in Kinston, they then move to the next interesting, uncommon vegetable and say “You grew this?”  Why, yes.  Yes, I did. Is this really so hard to believe???

The kicker came last week when someone asked “Are these Slocomb tomatoes?” They were literally stunned when I replied (perhaps a bit stronger than necessary) “No, they are not. They are from my farm in Kinston.” 

Thank you for listening. Thank you for your support.

SUMMERTIME, AND THESE SALADS ARE EASY

We couldn’t resist! With the summer temps climbing and so much beautiful produce it seemed only fitting to explore some yummy summer salads.

Salads are such easy things – you toss some ingredients together with a dressing and serve. They can serve as sides, main dishes or even desserts such as fruit salad or trifle.

The salads that follow use many Market ingredients currently in season. We hope it inspires your culinary imagination!

Top Left: This Kale Salad with Blueberries and Quinoa is loaded with antioxidants. If you’re not a fan of quinoa other grains could be substituted. Popped Sorghum would be a delightfully crunchy substitute.

Top Right: ITALIAN SUB SALAD ! All the deliciousness of a sub sandwich without the bread.

Bottom Left: This Grilled Vegetable Summer Salad is a great reason to grill extra vegetables.

Bottom Right: Last but not least, another sandwich type salad minus the bread: Summer BLT Chopped Salad.

GROWER & MARKET NOTES

NEW & RELISTED Please be sure to check all our vegetable listings as there is so much beautiful produce these days! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * FARM FASHION SHOW – Another grower has graciously shared a work attire photo. You must admit she’s lovely!

IN SEASON

As a kid I was scolded by adults whenever I was caught chewing on the little clover shaped plant shown below. “What if a bug peed on it?” was the usual challenge. I had no idea what the plant was, just that I LOVED the tangy taste and it grew at my grandmother’s house every summer.

Fast forward 50’ish years and I learned that my childhood treat was wood SORREL and that cultivated sorrels had been used in French cuisine for many years.

That knowledge came a little late to be vindicated for all that scolding.

Garden sorrel (there are multiple varieties) is a sturdy, easy-to-grow leafy plant that comes back year after year, and belongs to the same botanical family as rhubarb and buckwheat. It’s best thought of as being halfway between a green and an herb: its flavor is notably tangy and sour, and most sorrel recipes have you eat it raw or gently cooked. In both cases it is best served in combination with other ingredients, so its strong citrus taste won’t overwhelm. It can really lift a dish, especially in conjunction with a sweet or fatty element.

Sometimes called the lemon of the vegetable world it is an excellent source of fiber, phytonutrients and folic acid so sorrel is highly nutritious. It is high in vitamin C and also contains vitamins A, E and K as well as iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Similar to spinach and other leafy greens, sorrel also contains oxalic acid. In extremely high doses, oxalic acid can be toxic to individuals susceptible to kidney stones. Therefore, consume sorrel in sensible moderation (i.e. don’t eat large quantities daily).

So far your Market manager has enjoyed it raw in salads with other greens, scrambled with eggs, in cream sauce with other vegetables and replacing spinach in keto soups. All were wonderful. And I must confess to chewing on a leaf every once in a while because that naughty kid still likes the taste.

Tonya of Martin’s Harvest likes it best on fish tacos.

All that being said, if you’re up for a little culinary adventure, give it try! What follows are some recipes to get your imagination going. Bon Appetite!

Top Left: Zingy Chickpea and Sorrel Salad with Lemon Dressing is nutritionally dense and could easily be used as a main dish.

Top Right: Lemony Red Sorrel Pesto is made with pecans and can be paired with vegetables and used as a meat garnish. Fresh prepared pesto keeps will in the freezer to enjoy during winter months.

Bottom Left: This classic & versatile Sorrel Sauce can be served over quiche, breads, fish and poultry.

Bottom Right: This is one example of sorrel in dessert: Strawberries with set vanilla yoghurt and sorrel

GROWER & MARKET NOTES

NEW & RELISTED Yukon Gold Potatoes – – Avalon Farms Tomatoes – keep your eyes peeled for updates as I harvest –
Avalon Farms

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SUMMER FARM FUN – What follows stems from a conversation in the Market Shed a few weeks ago about the crazy things we wear while working on our farms . . . and how ridiculous we look. It birthed the idea of a Farm Fashion Show so we’ll be sharing photos with you this summer of some of us in our work attire. Some (like the marshmallow below) may be easy to recognize, others, maybe not so much. But we won’t be sharing names till August so feel free to laugh at us in the meantime.

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AVALON FARMS: Asparagus is done for the year. Sad, I know. That’s the thing with asparagus you are actually harvesting the new growth as it comes up. So you can’t just keep harvesting forever or you’ll kill the plants. Now we’ll have big pretty asparagus ferns till winter when they die back and get mowed.

Tomatoes are beginning to ripen, a new variety called Early Girl that is living up to its name. Keep an eye on the market, I’ll list as soon as I harvest some.

WELCOME NEW VENDOR

We are excited to announce The Garden on Windy Hill. The lovely lady below is Lily Adams who along with husband Chad grow seasonal flowers in the Wicksburg area. This week their sunflowers are ready to cut and as summer progresses there will be other flowers that become available. We hope you’ll take advantage of this great opportunity.

GROWER & MARKET NOTES

NEW & RELISTED Blackberries – Avalon Farms Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies – Nana’s Teacakes Cucumbers – Avalon Farms Red Potatoes – Restoration Gardens Green Beans – Avalon Farms Potatoes – Avalon Farms RELISTED from Mayim: New Zealand Spinach, Swiss Chard, Arugula, Bok Choi, Tatsoi, Kale & Fresh Moringa Leaves * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * DON’T PARK TOO CLOSE!!!!!!!

The good news is that this week the Market Shed will get a new roof. The bad news is that Mr. Bob can’t guarantee that his handy dandy magnetic picker upper tool will get EVERY nail that falls to the ground in the process. Because of this we’re asking those of you who pull up for drop off or delivery (both vendors and customers) to pull up 6-8 feet away from the building.

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NANA’S TEACAKES wants to give a BIG THANK YOU to everyone for giving me such a warm welcome since joining the Market. “NANA’S TEA CAKES” has been given such an enthusiastic welcome, that “NANA’S” is now offering “NANA’S OLD FASHIONED OATMEAL COOKIES”! Let’s face it, everyone loves the delicious taste of a good old fashioned oatmeal cookie. As with all “NANA’S” goodies, they are all natural and made with the finest organic ingredients.

“NANA’S OLD FASHIONED OATMEAL COOKIES” are not just a run-of-the-mill oatmeal cookie from the recipe that comes on the top of the old fashioned oats can. Ohh no! “NANA’S OLD FASHIONED OATMEAL COOKIES” are a special treat for you and your family. They also make very special and delicious gifts. Bite into one of these decadent, chewy cookies and relive the nostalgic memories of your childhood. All “NANA’S” goodies are wrapped in gorgeous Seasonal and/or Holiday bags with matching bows. Please specify WITH or WITHOUT raisins. Yummm! Yummm!

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AVALON FARMS:

The promise of things to come. In a few weeks we’ll have tomatoes, eggplant and blueberries! How exciting is that. It’s so hard to wait, but there’s no other option for locally grown goodies. Thanks for your patience.

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DUCK NUGGET FARMS sends a hearty Thank You to everyone who visited during Open House and encouraged them to make those yummy pound cakes, made with their own fresh duck eggs, available on the Market. While they’re looking into meeting state requirements to do that they’ve also launched a Facebook Page and a YouTube Channel.